Love on Ice
by Aria6
Summary: A romance fic! Roxas and Axel meet through a truly bizarre accident. What will happen to them? Will love come through in the end? Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

_Sometimes, people meet through shared interests. Perhaps they meet at the yoga class, or the gym. Perhaps the flower arrangers club. In this way, relationships can blossom._

_Sometimes people meet through the internet. They learn about each other through online chats and often discover that the reality is anything but they thought. But not always. Sometimes, love can spark._

_Sometimes people meet through friends. Friends often know what you would like in a mate and can introduce you to the one who will fill the need in your life. In this way relationships can grow._

_Sometimes people meet through an incredibly bad decision. Usually this results only in lawsuits and occasionally tragedies. But sometimes…_

* * *

"How the fuck am I supposed to do this?" Roxas examined the situation, trying to find a plausible way he could get his old couch out of his apartment. It was not looking good at all. "Shit!" He reflected ruefully that he'd never anticipated this much trouble when he'd managed to secure an almost new leather couch dirt cheap. Unfortunately, getting the new furniture in meant moving out the old and the delivery guys were not going to do it for him unless he paid an extra fee. That was money Roxas most emphatically did not have. "Maybe I could put it on my credit card." As soon as he said that though he didn't like it. His parents paid off his credit card every month and they would certainly ask what that charge was… then want to know what he needed a new sofa for. "Ugh." Roxas scowled to himself. He didn't want his parents meddling in his affairs anymore than necessary. But how to avoid it? Glancing around, his gaze settled on the balcony. He blinked and looked at the sofa, then at the balcony again. The soft was wide but he thought it would fit. The balcony had two sliding glass doors. "…" A grin crossed his face and he began to drag the sofa over.

Little did the blonde know that fate was walking in the direction of his balcony at that moment.

_Sip. Sip. Sluuuuurp._ Axel took a long drink of his coffee. By pure chance he walked underneath a tree branch. It screened the redhead just long enough for Roxas to take a good look below and assume the courtyard was empty.

"Look out below!" Axel blinked and glanced up, his eyes widening as he saw a plunging, moth eaten, cat peed sofa heading directly for his head. Fortunately he was very athletic, had excellent reflexes and was good under pressure or the result would have been tragedy and lawsuits. As it was, coffee went flying as the redhead dove for safety with the speed and skill usually associated with professional football tackles.

Roxas looked over the balcony with a grin that melted into horror as he met shocked green eyes.

"Are you _insane?!?_" Axel demanded and Roxas was tempted to flee into his apartment. But no, that was pointless. The redhead would be able to find out who lived up here easily. "You almost killed me! I could have died! And my coffee!" It had been a raspberry latte from Starbucks. That was a good five dollars down the drain. Roxas winced. "You killed my coffee and it died for nothing!" Axel mourned the sacrificial drink as Roxas tried to think what to do.

"Hang on! I'll be right down." He called and quickly vanished, running down the stairs faster than he had in his life. He was in huge trouble. If this guy reported him to the landlord he was going to get the boot so fast there would be huge dusty footprints on his backside. He'd _never_ be able to explain that to his parents. When he got there the redhead was examining the stuff in his backpack and frowning. "Oh god I'm so sorry." Roxas immediately apologized as the man looked up, his face still tight with anger. Roxas had to swallow then… this guy had tats on his _face?_ "Please, let me buy you a new drink."

"You might want to get this out of here first, or the management is going to be on your ass when they find it." The redhead commented, kicking the sofa and raising a cloud of dust. "Ew, god." He waved a hand in front of his face and coughed. Roxas winced as he caught the odor of stale urine. "What have you been doing to this thing?"

"It used to be my brother's." Roxas grabbed the sofa and began laboriously dragging it across the courtyard. Axel watched him a moment before shaking his head and gripping the other end. Roxas looked up in surprise as the redhead dumped his backpack onto the seat of the sofa and heaved up the end.

"You're going to take all day at that rate." He said briefly and Roxas flushed at the too accurate comment. "I'll help." Between the two of them they soon had the ugly, disgusting sofa onto the curb. Axel picked up his backpack and quickly brushed it off. "Okay. So you're getting me a drink?" The redhead examined the blonde for a moment and was favorably impressed. He was slender and way too pale, as though he rarely saw daylight, but his incredibly blonde, spiky hair and big blue eyes were nice. Axel felt most of his anger draining away. It was a weird and dangerous way to meet a hot guy but what the hell. "My name's Axel. What's yours?"

"Roxas." Roxas smiled tentatively and was relieved when Axel smiled back. He didn't want a guy badass enough to get facial tats pissed off at him. And now that he was a bit less anxious, Roxas was noticing how tall the redhead was and how slender. He also looked slightly tanned, as if he was outdoors a lot. Overall it was a very attractive look, especially with those brilliant green eyes. "The Starbucks is only a few blocks away if you want to go there now?" He wasn't really doing anything but Axel might have plans. The redhead smiled slightly then nodded.

"I'm not doing anything. Sure." And he really did have a hardcore need for some sweet caffeine. It was why he'd stopped at the mermaid place in the first place. Roxas shivered slightly as they walked. He'd forgotten to get his coat and it was a bit nippy outside. "So why were you shoving a couch off your balcony anyway?" The redhead finally asked and Roxas swallowed, trying to think of how to explain.

"It seemed like a good idea." That was lame and Axel didn't look very impressed. "You see, I didn't want to pay the extra to get it carried out when the new one was delivered… I, um, I won a contest so that's free… and I couldn't think of any other way to get it out."

"Hmm." Axel made a non-committal sound. He wasn't sure he thought much of this and not because he'd nearly been squashed. "Don't you have any friends?" Surely the blonde could have found help. Roxas bristled slightly.

"Of course I have friends." Roxas said sharply, then added grudgingly as Axel lifted an eyebrow at him. "…In California."

"Ah, I see." The eyebrow went back down and Roxas vaguely admired it. He'd always wanted to do that with his eyebrows but simply didn't have the nack. "Newcomer to the city?"

"Not really. I've been here two years. I just keep to myself." Roxas shrugged, a touch uncomfortable. Fortunately they were almost at the Starbucks and Axel didn't press. He didn't like to talk about his non-existent social life.

"You must. I thought I knew everyone in our complex and I've never seen you before." Axel commented as he looked up at the menu. "Could I have a raspberry latte?" Roxas nodded and glanced at the display of food, his stomach rumbling. It was a stretch but maybe…

"Would you like to share a muffin?" He offered and Axel looked a little startled. Then he examined the case for a moment and nodded.

"If you don't mind, a poppyseed one would be nice." He definitely had a liking for poppyseeds. "So, you a uni student?" Axel asked as Roxas placed the order. He got a simple cup of coffee for himself.

"Yes. I'm taking philosophy." Roxas offered. He didn't really want to be social but he really, really needed to be on Axel's good side. It was a powerful motivator to come out of his shell. "Do you go to university too?" Axel looked about the right age. But the redhead shook his head.

"Nah. Got no head for book learnin'. I'm a professional dancer." Axel smiled brightly and his eyes twinkled merrily. Roxas had a strange feeling that he wasn't being told the whole truth. Was this guy a stripper? That would figure. At least he probably wasn't a Hell's Angel or something. "You'll have to come see me sometime. Maybe I can get you some tickets."

"Oh, I couldn't." Roxas said hastily, envisioning some seedy club in the bad part of town. Axel laughed and Roxas was momentarily spellbound by his voice. It was warm and so full of amusement. Then he suddenly found his chin caught in long, strong fingers as Axel smiled knowingly.

"You think I'm a stripper, don't you?" Roxas swallowed convulsively as Axel moved closer, breathing in his ear. "You're wrong." Abruptly the redhead let go of him and picked up his latte. The barista was looking at them like they were a pair of freaks and Roxas managed to get himself together enough to grab his own drink. "Actually, I'm a ballet dancer. Although that's only a secondary thing. Most of all, I'm a figure skater."

"Really?" Roxas stared at Axel, trying to imagine him in a figure skating costume. Yes… yes, he could picture that. Something pure black and maybe cut in a bizarre way to show off tanned skin and hard muscles… Roxas swallowed again and pushed his musings away. He didn't know that Axel had hard muscles, he couldn't see them with his sweater and baggy pants. Although a treacherous part of his mind was informing him they had to be there. "Wow. I never work out at all." He suddenly felt very soft and unathletic beside Axel. Fortunately the redhead only shrugged as he took a seat at a table. Roxas hesitated a moment then sat across from him.

"Most people don't." Axel sipped at his drink. "I imagine you read more books than I do." That was actually a bit of a white lie but Axel found he wanted to put Roxas at ease. He really was very cute in a pale, slightly geeky way. The blonde ventured a shy smile and Axel smiled back warmly, breaking off a piece of the poppyseed muffin. "So you're from California? Why did you come here?" It was a strange thing to do, going halfway across the country to a city that didn't even have a prominent university. Roxas frowned for a moment then shrugged.

"No real reason." That was a bald faced lie but he wasn't going to tell this stranger about his personal life. Not yet anyway. "Have you lived here all your life?" Roxas turned the question around and Axel looked a little startled but went with it.

"Oh yes. My parents run NordaWeave Designs." Roxas looked a touch confused and Axel grinned. "You've probably never heard of it. They're an interior design firm. Mum and dad hoped I'd follow in their footsteps but they had to give it up when they realized I'm colorblind and as tasteful as a rapper looking for bling." Roxas couldn't help but laugh at that. "They support me a little. So what was California like?" That was a safer topic and Roxas found himself telling Axel all about the hot summers and wonderful beaches he'd enjoyed as a child. Axel amused him in return with several stories about ski trips he'd gone on. It made Roxas realize that he'd never tried skiing in the whole time he'd been here. Why not? Downhill was expensive, to be sure, but cross-country skiing was cheap.

"Earth to Roxas?" Roxas blinked, snapped out of her reverie as Axel tapped his hand lightly with one finger. "I'm done and the muffin has vanished. We should probably be getting back before the wind picks up. Here… wear this." Roxas blinked again as Axel shrugged out of his sweater. The redhead was wearing only a short sleeved shirt beneath and Roxas swallowed as he realized he'd been absolutely right about Axel's muscles. The redhead was built like a gymnast, sleek and toned.

"But you need it." Roxas protested weakly and Axel smiled at the blonde before shaking his head.

"I'll be fine. C'mon, let's jog back!" Axel set what to him was a very slow pace but Roxas was panting by the time they made it back to his apartment. It wasn't just that he was out of shape, it was the sheer length of Axel's stride. The taller man was almost impossible to keep up with. "Sorry. Didn't mean to push you too hard." Axel stopped as Roxas regained his breath.

"It's no problem. At least I'm warm." Roxas said with a wry smile. Between the exertion and Axel's sweater he was very warm indeed. A little too warm maybe. Especially when Axel smiled at him again. "Uh… here." Roxas stripped off the sweater and gave it back to the redhead, who draped it over one arm. "Thanks, and I'm really sorry for almost killing you." Axel laughed and shook his head.

"It was nothing. I'm alive and I'll have a story to tell the grandkids." Roxas blushed at the warmth in Axel's voice and quickly retreated into his apartment. Axel carefully noted the number and smiled to himself.

It wouldn't be hard to get a few complimentary tickets to his performances. And he wanted to see Roxas again.


	2. Figure Skating and Other Things

For Roxas, the next few days of classes went by far too slowly.

Sometimes he wondered what kind of job he would find when he graduated. Philosophy didn't lead directly to a career but it was a degree and there were plenty of jobs out there that just needed some kind of college degree. He was also taking classes in creative writing. Maybe he could be an editor? Roxas shrugged the thought away and tried to concentrate on the classroom debate. He needed to graduate before he could worry about his future.

Roxas trying to find the keys to his apartment when he got the shock of his life.

"Hey." The blonde nearly jumped out of his skin and jerked away violently at that soft voice. Axel was standing behind him, amused and a touch taken aback. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

"Uh, no, it's my fault." Roxas got his breath back and tried to remind himself that he was safe here and that surprises were not always bad. "I shouldn't be so jumpy. Can I help you with anything?" Axel hadn't reported him to the landlord but they hadn't spoken much since the day he'd nearly squashed the redhead. Roxas shoved away a feeling of pleasure at the way Axel had looked him up. The other man probably just needed a cup of sugar –

"Actually, it's more what I can do for you." Axel said easily and Roxas blinked as he pulled out a little paper slip. What was that? It had pretty lights and figure skaters on it? "I said I would get you a ticket to one of my performances. This one is for next week Saturday, if you can make it?" Roxas took the ticket, feeling a little numb. Axel had been serious?

"Sure I can!" He found himself saying with genuine pleasure. Then he gasped as Axel gently touched his cheek for a moment, smiling warmly. With anyone else Roxas would have been offended at the contact but with Axel it just seemed right.

"I'll see you there." Was all he said before walking away to find his own apartment. Roxas watched him go, a hand pressed to his cheek.

He could still feel Axel's fingers there and a deep, treacherous part of him wanted to feel them again.

* * *

"I need someone to talk to." Roxas mumbled to himself. "But who?"

The week was dragging by like a constipated rhino. Roxas was looking for Axel whenever he saw a flash of red and dreaming about him all the time. He knew it was just an infatuation based on physical attraction but he couldn't seem to get it out of his mind. And he didn't trust it. The blonde had had painful experience with that kind of attraction before and didn't want to go that way again.

But who could he talk to? None of his teachers. He didn't know the other students. He couldn't talk to his old friends from Cali. Could he? Roxas paused as he thought about it. There was one person he might be able to open his heart to. Maybe. He wasn't even sure how to get in touch with him though.

Once he got home Roxas began searching the internet. It wasn't hard to find the Facebook account of the person he was looking for and leave a message on his wall. It did take hours for that person to call him back.

"Hello?" Roxas answered the phone as he muted the TV. It was probably just a telemarketer. But maybe…

_You wanted to speak to me?_ Roxas felt a great relief as he heard that cool, calm, orderly voice. He and Riku had never been close, not really. But right now that was a good thing. Although the silver hair sounded suspicious.

"I – I need help with something." There was a leaden silence and Roxas spoke hastily. "Not that! I, um, I'm not sure about something. I need someone to talk to." Roxas could almost hear Riku lifting his eyebrows. But the silver haired man sounded as cool and unconcerned as always.

_I see. You haven't made many friends?_ Roxas winced and made a quick, muffled negative sound. _Hm, alright. What do you need help with?_ For Riku this was a new experience but he wasn't going to turn Roxas away. He felt rather bad for the blonde haired boy.

"There's a guy. I almost killed him with my couch." Roxas quickly related the whole scenario and blushed as he heard Riku quietly laughing. "It's not funny!"

_You almost crushed someone with your couch. It's hilarious. So I'm assuming this person did not break your legs?_ Riku said a touch more seriously and Roxas shook his head before remembering the silver hair couldn't see him.

"No. I bought him a coffee and a poppyseed muffin. Riku, he's… he's gorgeous." Roxas rushed out. "He has red hair and green eyes and tanned skin and –" Riku's laughter drifted through the phone and Roxas couldn't help but smile. Riku had a nice laugh, soft and pleasant to listen to.

_I can see you like him. You think your parents might approve? _Riku asked and Roxas made a soft affirmative sound. His parents didn't like that he was bi and would much rather he found a nice girl, but that wasn't the most stringent of their requirements. _So what's the problem?_

"He gave me tickets to go see him at a show but Riku… how… I don't… how do I…?" Roxas swallowed hard and heard the silver haired boy sigh softly.

_Oh Roxas. Just ask him. I know it's scary but it's the only way. Why don't you ask him out for coffee again? That's nice and neutral but he'll get the message._ Riku gently encouraged him. Roxas winced at the thought but Riku was right. And really, he did feel encouraged. He hadn't thought of something as small as coffee. It was a good place to start. _Do you mind if I tell Sora about this? He'll be happy you've found someone interesting. _Roxas hesitated for a moment. The reason he hadn't called Sora directly was partly because the brunette was way too hyper for him but also because he was an information sink to their mother. If Riku told Sora his family would know everything. _If you don't want me to that's fine. _

"Um, no. No, that's okay. You can tell him." Roxas quickly decided. He was sure his parents wouldn't object to Axel and he didn't want to put Riku in the position of keeping secrets from Sora. He had no doubt the silver haired boy could keep them faithfully. He also had no doubt Sora would make Riku's life miserable if he found out he'd been keeping secrets. Sora believed in complete openness. "Um, has…" Roxas hesitated then blurted out the question. "Has Olette been asking about me?"

_Roxas. It's better you don't know. _Riku's voice was kind and Roxas swallowed. That meant she had. _Just let the past go. You're better off in where you are._

"Yes. You're right." Roxas rubbed his eyes for a moment. Riku was certainly right. Sometimes the silver haired boy could sound so wise. He ruefully reflected on how lucky Sora was. Did he have any idea how easy he had it? Probably not. "It's been good talking to you. Thank you." Riku wasn't really his friend and wasn't obligated to be his sounding board.

_It's nothing. Hit me up on Facebook if you need help again. _Roxas smiled to himself as he hung up the phone. How often did Riku check that? Quite a lot if his friends list was any indication. Not the mention all the FarmVille notices. Settling in at his computer again, Roxas opened a document and hesitated. Write his report or play Fallout 3? He knew he would regret it later but right now the game had a great allure. Finally he shrugged and watched the Vault Dweller loading screen.

He still had a week left on that particular essay. He could put it off a while longer.

* * *

"Oh wow!" Roxas watched wide-eyed as the figure skaters did a complicated pattern on the ice. Most of these skaters weren't great, but they'd been extensively drilled to form the pattern with their bodies. The result was beautiful. It looked like a flower on the ice.

He'd never seen the dancing on ice before. Roxas had known it existed, of course. There were always advertisements in the paper for it and he knew it was sponsored by several local businesses. Apparently all the money made went to the various skating programs and scholarships for skaters. It didn't make a lot but it was a great way to promote figure skating and gave the junior skaters a place to showcase their talents.

Not just the juniors though. They left the ice in a choreographed series of twirls and bounces and the first pair of intermediate skaters came out. To Roxas' disappointment neither was Axel. They did a beautiful routine set to a rock song he didn't recognize. Then there was a female figure skater doing a solo to classical music. Roxas found it a bit boring but there were some very nice jumps. Unfortunately a few of the landings were lacking. But then, she probably wasn't looking to go to the Olympics. There were several other routines but Roxas was waiting for –

"Ah!" Roxas leaned forward as Axel swept into the arena. He was wearing an evening suit and Roxas' blinked as he heard the song. He knew that song but where had he heard it? Then he heard the announcer.

_Axel McCarthy performing to Tomorrow Never Dies!_ Roxas laughed at himself as he suddenly remembered. That song was from James Bond! No wonder Axel was wearing a suit and tie. Although no one could ever mistake him for Bond with the bright red hair.

Axel seemed to really be enjoying his performance and Roxas watched, entranced. The music hit a peak and Axel suddenly did a jump. There was applause from the audience and Roxas was amazed. He didn't know much about figure skating but that had to be a triple something and Axel had made it look so effortless. There was acting in it too… Roxas blushed as the redhead seemed to point directly at him. That had to be an illusion, Axel couldn't know where he was sitting. Could he? Axel spun on the ice and Roxas swallowed hard. He really was just as slender and muscular as he'd thought. He was vaguely aware of the announcer nattering about footwork and toe loops but ignored it. All that mattered was the flashing red and black moving smoothly across the ice.

The performance was over all too soon and Roxas smiled as Axel bowed and waved at the audience before grinning and tossing his boutonniere into the audience. A girl caught it and everyone laughed. Axel blew her a kiss before leaving the rink.

That was pretty much the end of the show. All the junior skaters came out again to do another pattern, using little colorful boards to create a wave effect that made the audience ooh and aah. The show was finally over and as Roxas went out he wondered. Could he find Axel? Or would he have to hunt the redhead down later? Pausing, he decided to get a drink. There was a vendor and he was really very thirsty.

"So did you like it?" Roxas nearly jumped out of his skin at that soft question. Axel laughed and gripped his elbow as the blond staggered. "Woah there! You okay?"

"I'm fine. You just scared me." He turned to smile at the redhead. "I was just getting a drink." Axel chuckled softly.

"Let me get that for you." Roxas thought about protesting but didn't as Axel moved in front of him. "What would you like?"

"Um, just a soda." Soon they were at the front of the line and Axel ordered an orange juice and a soda. Several people congratulated him on his routine and Axel accepted the compliments with a modest smile. "That thing with the flower was a nice touch." Roxas commented as walked outside, sipping their drinks.

"A bit of humor goes a long way at things like this." Axel said with a smile. "It's different from actual contests. Would you like a lift back home?" Roxas goggled a little at the redhead. Axel had a car?

"Sure!" That would be more than welcome. He'd anticipated taking an hour and a half or maybe even two getting home on public transit. In a car it would take more like a half-hour. The car, when he saw it, impressed Roxas even more. It wasn't a super expensive car but it wasn't cheap either and it looked very new. "That's a nice car." He commented, running a hand over the sleek paint job. It was jet black with red accents. Axel grinned.

"It was a present from my grandma. She's proud of me, for some odd reason." Axel said lightly and that made Roxas wonder. What was his family like? They clearly had some money even if they weren't rich. It was reassuring. Roxas' family would like that. The blonde slid into the car and smiled at the comfortable seats. Axel pressed a button and he blinked as he felt…

"Axel? Is that a butt warmer?" The seat was getting noticeably warmer. Axel laughed.

"It is! Isn't it great?" Roxas made a face but decided it would be great on a very cold day. Today didn't seem quite that cold though. "I get cold easily. Weird for a figure skater, I know, but in the rink the exertion keeps me warm." Axel said more seriously and Roxas nodded. That made sense. They chatted about various inconsequential things on the way home. Roxas managed to make Axel laugh as he tried to explain the topic of his paper.

"You picked why is the sky blue? Roxas!" Roxas blushed and reminded himself that Axel wasn't into philosophy. Or book learning of any sort really.

"It's supposed to be a challenge Axel." He said stubbornly and the redhead laughed again.

"Write five pages on why the sky is blue? That would be a challenge alright. I know I couldn't do it. 'It is because I looked up and it was blue.' Done." Axel grinned as he pulled up to their apartment complex. "Well, we're here." Roxas hesitated as Axel shut off the engine. He'd been putting this off and it gave him butterflies in his stomach but he just had to ask.

"Axel?" Roxas swallowed as the redhead looked at him quizzically. "W-Would you like to go for coffee on Monday? After my classes?" He suddenly blurted out. Axel smiled slowly and reached over to touch his hand.

"I would love to." He murmured before adding. "If you go to lunch with me tomorrow. I have a coupon for Galaxy Pizza and it's going to be expiring soon." Roxas smiled at that. That was a good pizzeria and normally he'd have been worried about the expense, but if Axel had a coupon…

"Sure, I would love to. Should we leave around eleven?" Roxas said warmly and Axel thought about it a moment before nodding with a smile. "I'll see you then." He got out of the car and they went up the stairs together, parting on the second landing. Roxas smiled to himself as he went into his apartment, oblivious to the mess, and flopped onto his new leather couch. "I love you." He patted the couch fondly. If it hadn't been for winning that contest and having to get rid of his old couch, he'd never have met the fascinating redhead.

Things were looking up in the world.


	3. More Romance

Roxas glanced around the pizzeria appreciatively. Galaxy pizza was right in the downtown core and had a unique style. There were brightly painted vases holding arrangements of wooden chilies and garlic cloves. More cloves were hanging on the walls like garlands. Fortunately, Roxas loved garlic and Axel seemed to feel the same way.

"This is some amazing pizza." Axel said appreciatively as he pulled free a slice. The molten cheese stretched incredibly long before it finally snapped. "Hell!" Roxas laughed as he saw the strand had flicked across the redhead's face, leaving a path of tomato sauce in its wake. "Mmmm." Axel disregarded the sauce and took a bite of the pizza, chewing in bliss. Roxas smiled and reached out to gently blot the tomato sauce away from his cheek. For a moment he felt so attracted to Axel it almost hurt. Then the redhead made his cheeks puff out like a hamster as he took another bite of pizza.

"You ruined the moment." Roxas said with a groan as Axel looked puzzled.

"There was a moment?" Roxas blushed as Axel polished off his slice and sprinkled more hot pepper flakes on the next. "Mmm. I could eat this all the time. Of course, if I did that I'd gain weight and that could be a disaster."

"It could?" That puzzled Roxas a bit. Axel looked excellent but how could a few more pounds hurt? Axel smiled and shook his head.

"I'm a figure skater Roxas. A few pounds extra can put off your skating a bit. It's better to just maintain an ideal weight." Axel munched thoughtfully before taking a long drink of his root beer. Roxas couldn't help but feel a bit skeptical.

"You sound like you're training for the Olympics." He commented and Axel choked for a moment, then laughed. "What?" Roxas was perplexed. He hadn't thought his comment was that funny.

"I am in training for the Olympics, silly!" Axel laughed again as Roxas stared. "Did you think I learned how to do those jumps just for fun?" He said teasingly and the blonde blinked. He'd known Axel was good but hadn't guessed he was _that_ good. But then, what else would the redhead be shooting for?

"Wow, really? Do you think you're going to make next years games?" Roxas had a bit of trouble believing that. He'd never met an Olympic level athlete in his life! It was a little intimidating. Axel smiled cheerfully as he took another drink.

"Unless I break a leg or, oh, get squashed by a couch it's pretty much certain." Roxas blushed at the reminder and Axel grinned. "You're so cute when you blush… yes. I've already won several Regionals so I'm pretty much guaranteed a spot on the Olympic team." Axel wasn't going to say that it was completely guaranteed. Things happened and there were several ways people could be disqualified from the Olympics.

"Wow." Roxas couldn't help but sound a little depressed and Axel tilted his head, giving him a curious look. "It's just… I haven't done anything like that." He couldn't help but feel a bit inferior. Axel shook his head with a soft laugh.

"This from the guy who can write five pages about why the sky is blue! Hey, tell me about yourself." Axel caught his deer in the headlights look and amended his statement. "Tell me the craziest thing you've done and I'll tell you mine." Roxas had to think about it for a moment, wincing past some of the worst parts of his history. Something crazy?

"Well, I got high and went dirt biking at night once." Roxas admitted in a small voice. Axel looked a touch surprised.

"Wow, you're lucky to be alive! My uncle is a doctor in an emergency ward and he calls people who do stuff like that future organ donors." Roxas winced as he picked up a piece of pizza and took a nibble. He knew Axel was right, he could easily have died that night. It had been stupid but he'd been high. "You don't do drugs anymore, do you? My family is way down on that."

"Oh no. I'm out of that." Roxas said definitely as Axel thoughtfully examined the dessert menu. "What about your crazy thing?" They were supposed to be trading. The redhead grinned, picking up the dessert card.

"I photocopied my ass!" He said lightly as Roxas stared. "And left them where my sister would find them."

"You didn't!" Roxas laughed, imagining it. "What did she do?" He was certain she'd done something. Sora would have gotten revenge for something like that.

"More like what she tried to do." Axel leaned forward, speaking confidentially. "She tried to photocopy her tits but mom caught her at it and she was _not _amused." Roxas almost snorted his drink. That was hilarious! "She had extra chores for a week. She was _pissed._ Hey, would you like dessert? They've got good mud pies here."

"Mud pies?" Roxas wasn't too sure about that but he was pretty sure it wouldn't involve actual mud. "Sure, why not?" Axel smiled and waved the waitress over, placing the order for two mud pies and coffee. "Could I have tea?"

"Certainly. Any flavor?" The waitress, a very nice girl with a friendly smile, asked. Roxas had to think about that a moment.

"Um, do you have Chai?" He asked tentatively and she nodded.

"Certainly!" Then she hurried off to take care of another table. Roxas reflected that he really liked this place. If only he could afford to go here more often.

"If only I could afford to go here more often." Roxas blinked as Axel echoed his thoughts, gazing around thoughtfully. "This is a great place. Although it's more the weight I'm worried about than the money."

"Hm… I was wondering. How do you make money at figure skating?" Roxas asked, feeling a touch of resentment. He was always counting every penny. Axel didn't seem to spend a lot but he wasn't worrying about stopping at Starbucks either. The redhead smiled and shook his head.

"You don't. Not directly, at least, until you're successful. Then you can do commercials and things. I'm sponsored actually." Axel paused as the waitress brought out their drinks and desserts. Roxas eyed the huge mound of gooey chocolate with trepidation. He hadn't thought it would be this big. "Mmm… right. Olympic level skaters can get all kinds of support. Scholorships to university, corporate sponsorships, that sort of thing. NordaWeave is sponsoring me."

"Oh, your parents." Roxas said, relaxing a touch. They owned the company so that made sense. Axel grinned and shook his head.

"Sort of! It's a formal sponsorship though, so they get some kind of tax deduction. And I'm also sponsored by Wright Clothing. They do all of my costumes." Axel took a bite of his mud pie and Roxas tried his, reminded that it was there. His eyes widened at the taste. It was chocolate pudding on an almond crust with chocolate syrup and real whipped cream. "Gosh this stuff is amazing." Axel savored his bite then took a long swallow of coffee. "So rich though." It wasn't something he'd want to have every day. "Figure skating is a bit expensive. A good coach costs a lot but he's absolutely necessary. I've got one of the best in the business. So, do you have a scholarship?"

"Yes." Roxas said, a touch shyly. "I won an essay contest." He was still amazed at that. "My family didn't want to see me go but they couldn't argue with the money. It covers my entire tuition, my books and most of my rent." Axel looked impressed at that. The rents in the city were pretty low, but still.

"Wow, that's a nice scholarship. You'll have to show me this essay sometime." He commented as he popped a sugar cube in his coffee. Roxas poured out his tea, pleased with the rich golden color. "I can't write worth beans. I do like to read science fiction and fantasy though. What do you read?"

"Mystery mostly." Roxas briefly wished he read fantasy or sci fi. It would have given them a common point of interest –

"Ohh, really?" Axel sounded pleased and Roxas blinked, meeting bright green eyes. "I read those too, whenever I go to my mom's. She has a ton of them. Do you like the Cat Who series?"

"Oh yes!" Roxas said, suddenly enthusiastic. "That's one of my favorites. I like Agatha Christie too. Have you ever read Miss Marple's books?" Soon they were embroiled in a deep discussion over what mystery author was the best and Roxas found himself enchanted all over again. Axel was nice, funny and smart. Sure, he might not be going to university but he clearly had a calling. Roxas could only envy him. Then the waitress brought the bill, breaking the spell. Axel pulled out his gift card and also a credit card.

"Wait, how much do I owe you?" Roxas asked worriedly. He hadn't asked how much was on the gift card but it clearly wasn't enough. Axel smiled brilliantly.

"Don't worry about it. Lunch is on me." He wasn't about to tell Roxas that the card was only for twenty-five dollars. He was getting a feel for how Roxas lived and could tell he was a bit short on cash. "Would you like to come over to my apartment and watch a movie?" He asked and Roxas hesitated a moment before nodding. They were both in the same apartment complex so getting back to his place was just a matter of walking up the stairs. As they walked out Axel took his hand and Roxas hesitated a moment before giving him a gentle squeeze. The drive home was quick and Roxas got to see Axel's apartment for the first time.

"Oh wow!" Roxas stared at the apartment wide eyed. It was pretty clean but that wasn't what was amazing him. "I thought you said you weren't any good at design." The apartment was beautiful. The general layout was the same as his but instead of hand me downs and thrift store junk, it was filled with tasteful decorations. Not too expensive, maybe, but everything harmonized. The color palette was warm browns, burnt oranges and deep reds. It was a very warm and there was a huge, vibrant picture of a Mediterranean town on one of the walls. Roxas examined it a moment, amazed by the sheer size of the oil painting and the brightness of the colors. There was also a vase on the dining room table, an orange and gold glass vase filled with yellow roses.

"I'm not." Axel hung up his coat and took Roxas', hanging it up beside his. Then he kicked off his shoes. "My mother designed it for me. That's her business, remember?" Axel added as Roxas looked a little blank.

"Oh, right!" The blonde flushed as he took off his shoes. It was hard to remember that Axel's parents owned a business. He was nothing like the girls his mother had introduced him to, although Roxas supposed they were the same class really. Then he winced. That thought sounded like his mother.

"Roxas?" Roxas blinked as he saw Axel sorting through his collection of DVD's. "Hmm… I'm in the mood for something cheesy with awesome special effects. How about 2012?" Axel pulled out the jewel case and Roxas shrugged.

"Sure, why not?" He watched as the redhead extracted the DVD and popped it into the player. "Maybe we could make popcorn?" He suggested shyly and Axel smiled, hitting pause.

"Sure! And would you like something to drink? I have rootbeer, coke and 7-up." Axel offered and Roxas quickly settled on a 7-up. Soon they were sitting together on the sofa and quickly became engrossed in the explosions. Roxas' fingers brushed across Axel's as he reached for the popcorn and he looked up to meet bright green eyes. The redhead smiled and Roxas felt his heart flutter again.

It had been so long since he'd felt this way about anyone. He didn't want it to end.

* * *

Several days later.

"Hm?" Roxas looked up from his essay writing with a frown as the phone went off. Then he listened as the phone recited the number calling. "Oh!" It was Riku's and Sora's number. He quickly grabbed the handset. "Hello?"

_Roxas! _The blonde smiled sadly as he heard his brother's familiar, chirpy voice. _How are you doing?_

"Not bad. And you?" Roxas asked politely. He was sure everything was going great in Sora's cotton candy happy pony land, but it was still polite to ask.

_Great! Stupendous! But Riku says you have a boyfriend? What's his name? Tell, tell! _Roxas laughed at his brother's enthusiasm.

"He's not really a boyfriend yet Sora. We're just friends. His name is Axel McCarthy." Roxas quickly gave Sora a rundown of everything he knew about Axel so far, to the brunette's amazement.

_The Olympics? Wow, mom will like that! Although she won't like that he's not going to school. _Sora sounded a little worried and Roxas winced. He knew that was true._ Oh well, can't have everything. It's nice that his parents own a company! And he looks very Irish?_

"Oh yes." Roxas said with a smile. "His hair is red like you wouldn't believe. He has a bit of a tan, beautiful green eyes and he's even taller than Riku." That was an achievement, but Axel managed it with ease.

_Wow! Mom will definitely like that. I'm so happy for you Roxy. _Roxas frowned though as he heard something odd in Sora's voice. Worry? Whatever it was, it wasn't typical Sora.

"Is something wrong So-so?" He used the old nickname without thought and Sora laughed, cheerful again.

_Oh no, everything's good Roo! It's just, well, mama is sort of annoying Riku a bit. She keeps coming over when I'm not home. But it'll be fine, he knows what she's like._ Roxas decided not to point out that they could just move. There was no way Sora was going to do that. _Hey, you should bring Axel to Christmas this year!_

"If we're officially boyfriends by then, I will." Roxas promised. Introducing the redhead to his mother would be nerve-wracking in the extreme but it would be necessary if they wanted to stay together. Of course, that was assuming Axel wanted to date him. Sure, they'd been on a couple dates but nothing really – "Oh, Sora, can I let you go? Another call is coming through." That was a little rude but they were almost done anyway and Roxas didn't recognize the number. It looked local though so it probably wasn't a telemarketer.

_Oh sure. Tell me if you get serious with Axel!_ Sora chirped and Roxas smiled.

"I will." He quickly switched to the second caller. "Hello?"

_Hi Roxas. _Axel! Roxas felt his stomach go into a fit of butterflies again. The redhead sounded relaxed and his voice was just so _sexy_. _I was wondering. My mom and dad are into this thing called Geocaching. It's like hide and seek for grownups, using a GPS. Would you like to come on a hike this Saturday? Get out of the house a bit? They would really like to meet you since I've said so much about you. _Axel sounded a bit amused at his parents and Roxas swallowed, almost speechless. _Roxas? _Axel sounded a touch worried now. _If it's too fast I understand –_

"No, no!" Roxas quickly regained his voice at that. "It's not too fast! I'm just happy." He said honestly and Axel laughed. "I'd love to meet your parents. When should we leave?"

_If we go over early we can have breakfast there. Say seven or eight? _Roxas winced. That was very early for him but as long as he went to bed early he would be fine. And a free breakfast was not to be sneered at.

"Eight would be good. I'm not a morning person." Roxas said firmly and smiled as he heard the redhead chuckle.

_Neither am I. But believe me, my mom's omelette's are worth it. She makes smashing omelette's. I'll see you then. _They said their goodbye's and Roxas hung up, smiling and humming to himself. Axel liked him, he really, really liked him! Why else would he introduce the blonde to his family? That was a big step to take. Roxas went back to his computer and tried to work on his essay but his thoughts kept slipping back to a handsome redhead.

Everything was good in the world.


	4. Meeting the Parents

Roxas set down the cookies he'd brought on the counter and looked around Axel's parents' house curiously. It was far more subdued than Axel's apartment. The colors were soft beige and light grey and combined with the general layout of the house there was a great impression of openness and space. The kitchen was truly beautiful, with granite countertops and plenty of cabinet space. Hardwood floors were kind on the feet and delicate prints adorned the walls. There was a vase on the dining room and Roxas smiled at the sight of it. It was pink and silver filled with pink and white roses, and it was a twin to the one in Axel's apartment. Suddenly something poked him in the back, hard, and Roxas stumbled forward with a yelp.

"Sasha!" Axel sounded exasperated and Roxas turned then yelped again as he saw what had poked him. It was the biggest dog he'd ever seen in his life! It was a huge, heavy dog with big floppy ears and a brindle coat. "Sorry about that." Axel grabbed the dog's collar and pulled her away. "Sasha! Sit." The dog immediately sat, to Roxas surprise. "Good girl. She's really a very nice dog."

"Oh." Roxas said timidly. "Can I pet her?" She did seem nice and was far less intimidating when she was sitting and panting. Standing up, her nose hit the centre of his back. Roxas thought she was almost as big as a pony. Axel nodded with a smile. "What breed is she?" Roxas asked as he tentatively petted her head.

"A great dane. Don't sleep on the floor or she'll try to drown you in drool." Axel said with the air of someone who knew from personal experience. Roxas imagined a little Axel sleeping on a pillow… then getting ferociously drooled on by the family dog. He had to fight back an urge to giggle at the image.

"Axel!" Roxas looked up from the dog as a woman walked down the stairs. This had to be Axel's mother. To his surprise, her skin had a beautiful golden tan and her hair was a deep auburn. Her eyes were a very pale blue and she had a round, attractive face to match a well rounded, attractive body. Roxas quickly discarded that thought and hid it under a bush. He didn't want to think about how hot Axel's mother was! Sasha looked up adoringly at Axel's mother and thumped her tail against the hardwood floor. "You must be Roxas. I'm Atzi." She smiled and offered him her hand. Roxas took it, noticing that the only jewelry she wore was a small wedding band.

"Atzi? That's an unusual name. Where is it from?" Roxas asked curiously. She smiled and he could see the resemblance to Axel for a moment. They both had the same warm, friendly smile.

"It was my great-great grandmother's name. My mother loves the family history so she decided to reuse it." Roxas was going to ask more but then Axel's father came down the stairs. Roxas could immediately see where Axel had gotten his eyes and height from. His father looked like an older version of him, in fact, although his hair was a more coppery shade of red and had been carefully tamed into an acceptable corporate hairstyle. He wasn't quite as thin and muscular as his son but he was quite attractive as well. Roxas took that thought and firmly throttled it. He wasn't going to think about how hot Axel's _dad_ was!

"Hi dad! This is Roxas." Axel greeted his father, who grunted and looked around. "The coffee's right over there." The redhead said helpfully and his father nodded before shuffling over to pour himself a cup. Axel leaned over and murmured in Roxas' ear. "He's not a morning person either. He doesn't wake up until he gets at least one cup."

"Ah." Roxas knew what that felt like. He'd felt that way when he woke up, in fact. The wonderful smells of bacon and eggs cooking were beginning to fill the air as Axel's mother worked on an omelet.

"Roxas? Do you like green peppers and tomatoes in your omelet?" Atzi called from the kitchen and Roxas nodded.

"That's fine." He called back as Axel took him and Sasha into the dining room. Then the redhead went to fetch some plates and silverware as Roxas sat at the table. Sasha laid her head in his lap and he gently petted her head. The kitchen was big but three people were still more than enough. They didn't need any help from him. Axel began setting the table and smiled as he spotted the dog on Roxas' lap.

"How cute. Hey, would you like some coffee?" Roxas nodded with a smile and Axel went to get him a cup. Soon he had a steaming cup and the blonde sipped it. It was a really excellent, strong and fresh.

"So what exactly is Geocaching? Can you tell me more about it?" Roxas asked curiously as Axel tossed Sasha a piece of raw chicken. She wolfed it down with gusto.

"Hm? Oh. Well, the way it works is people load the coordinates for various caches onto the Geocaching website. You can load those coordinates into your GPS and then use it and the hints on the website to find the caches." Axel explained. "Then when you find one, there's a log book. You write your name in it and often there's stuff in the cache. If there is, you can take something and leave something. Mom buys these cute little keychains at the dollar store for that."

"Oh. Are there really very many caches?" Roxas asked, a bit skeptical. This sounded really strange to him. Axel laughed merrily at his misconceptions.

"Roxas, there are hundreds in this city alone!" Roxas blinked at that number. "And all the outlying towns have them. You'd be hard pressed to find a place on this earth that doesn't have a geocache by now. I bet you can find them in the most remote parts of Brazil or the Congo!"

"You're exaggerating dear." Axel flushed as his mother called from the kitchen. "Although not by much. There are wilderness caches only meant to be accessible with serious effort. Although that cache someone put on a mountain was a bad idea. It got muggled by a climber." That confused Roxas but he was quickly distracted as Atzi came out with a big plate of omelette, toast and bacon. Axel's father took a seat at the table, looking far more alert and friendly with a full cup of coffee.

"Hello there. I'm Niall. You must be Roxas?" He said with a smile and Axel shook his head sadly as Roxas nodded, smiling back.

"I already told you that dad. Try to wake up – Sasha! Bad dog!" She had darted her head up and managed to snag a piece of bacon right out of Axel's hands.

"She only does that when you're here." Atzi said, mildly disapproving. "Sasha! Leave." Sasha lowered her head and whined but the brindle dog obeyed, slipping out to the living room. "She's really quite obedient but she knows who she can push around."

"Hey, are you insinuating I'm a pushover?" Axel demanded and his mother smiled sweetly as she buttered her toast.

"No sweety. I'm stating you're a pushover. She just has to lower her head and give you that hound dog look and you melt like a fresh butter patty." Axel flushed and Roxas couldn't help but laugh. "But we love you anyway."

"Mom, stop, you're embarrassing me." Axel glanced at Roxas who just smiled. He thought he liked Axel's parents already. Conversation ebbed as everyone concentrated on their food and Roxas found that Axel was right. His mother did make a smashing omelet.

"So Roxas, Axel says you're taking philosophy. I've always wondered what kind of career that leads to." Niall asked, rather tactfully Roxas thought. A lot of people put it far more rudely.

"A lot of things." Roxas answered. "Anything that needs a university degree really. A lot of public service jobs, anything that requires analytical thinking. I'm taking some creative writing courses too and thinking of going into editing." That seemed to satisfy Axel's parents. "I've always wondered though. How do you get started on interior design?" Actually, he hadn't wondered that until this moment but it made a good question. Niall brightened at the question.

"Actually, we do a bit more than just interior design. I started with a degree in architecture. We're an architectural firm…" Roxas listened, fascinated, as Niall told him all about NordaWeave Designs. Axel had clearly been simplifying. They sounded more like builders to him, although they would see an entire building through from laying the foundation to decorating the interior. "We do more corporate contracts these days. We're a bit expensive for individual homeowners, although we do those too on occasion."

"That sounds really interesting." Roxas said truthfully. "I thought about going into architecture but I'm not very good with math." Math had been the bane of his existence in high school.

"I'm sure Axel was even worse." Atzi said with a smile. "He only finished high school because we made him. He kept submitting his math homework with the silliest answers. I saved some of them if you want to see –"

"Maybe later mom." Axel said hastily. "Where are we going to geocache?" Atzi accepted the change of subject, pulling out several papers but Roxas made a mental note to ask about that homework later. It sounded interesting.

The rest of the day passed very pleasantly. They went on a hike through a nature park just outside of town and Sasha got to run and chase rabbits, although she didn't come even close to catching any. She also succeeding in scaring a little girl although they eventually got everyone calmed down and the girl got to pet the huge scary dog. One of the caches they were looking for was either too well hidden or muggled.

"So muggles are ordinary people, like Harry Potter? And if someone finds and ruins a cache it's been muggled?" Roxas asked. He'd deduced that from how they were using the term. Axel nodded.

"Yep. You need to be careful when muggles are around. There's always someone who'll ruin a cache." Axel shook his head in disgust. "There's no reason to, most caches have the website on them and a blurb explaining what they are, but some people are just nasty."

"Oh." Roxas reflected sadly that he knew that from personal experience. But Axel and his family seemed very nice. Certainly a lot more normal than his family. Although… Axel's father was singing an old Irish tune as they walked down the path. "Axel? Why would they do those horrible things to John Barleycorn?" The song was detailing all the terrible things that happened to poor Barleycorn… being beaten, knifed in the knees and having his bones ground to powder. Axel laughed and Roxas blinked at him.

"Roxas, that song's about brewing beer!" Axel explained with a grin and Roxas blinked again as he tried to understand. "John Barleycorn is barley."

"Oh!" Roxas flushed as Axel laughed again. "Well, the song doesn't say that." He pointed out and Axel shrugged, amused.

"It wouldn't be as fun if it did – ah, I think we're here." His mother was poking around a clump of trees and examining the GPS. "C'mon, let's start looking." Roxas smiled as he searched through the trees, looking for anything unusual on the ground. He wasn't very good at this so he was sure someone else would find it but it was still fun to try. Then he spotted a bunch of wood chips in one spot. "…?" Pushing aside the chips he found a plastic bag. "I think I found it!" Tugging on it he pulled out a large bag. It opened easily to reveal a large box covered in camo with a huge label.

"That's definitely it!" Atzi took the box with a smile of pleasure, opening it and examining the contents. "Here's the log book. Axel, did you want to sign?" Axel shook his head.

"I never log 'em anyway. You guys go for it." Axel wasn't into geocaching although he often went with his parents. Atzi quickly scrawled in the log book and Roxas peeked over her shoulder, noticing that her geocaching name was Rain Woman. Niall signed as well and his name turned out to be Sasha's Dad. "Hey, look, there's a piece of candy in there! Pass it over." Axel pointed at the foil wrapped candy and Atzi shrugged, pulling it out and tossing it over to him. Axel unwrapped it and popped it in his mouth, then stopped with an arrested expression. "Hrgh!" He spat it out and Roxas stared, alarmed, as Sasha promptly ate it. "Zinc lozenge, argh! Damn! That needs a warning label."

"Well, you really shouldn't be eating things from caches anyway. Who knows how long it's been in there?" Axel's father said as he hooked the leash up to Sasha's collar. "Anymore caches or are we done?" Atzi looked at her watch pensively.

"There's another in the park but we could save it for another day. It's getting rather late and some lunch would be nice." They'd brought granola bars but it wasn't really the same. "Roxas, Axel, would you like to come back to our place for lunch?" Axel glanced at him and Roxas answered easily.

"I'd love to." He said sincerely. He was sure whatever they were serving would be better than he could make at home and his cookies were still there. Roxas couldn't bake either so the cookies had come from a little bakery near his apartment. The blonde knew they would be good. "If that's okay with you Axel?" He asked the redhead and Axel laughed and ruffled his hair. Roxas blinked but then smiled shyly at the contact.

"If it's okay by you it's fine by me! They've got a panini maker." He said confidentially and Roxas laughed. "And sauerkraut and corned beef. I checked the fridge."

"Reuben sandwiches?" Roxas found that a very attractive thought. He and Axel walked behind his parents and Roxas smiled as the redhead took his hand. "I'd love that, those are my favorites."

"Mine too!" Axel said with a grin. "Hey, did I tell you about what happened in skating practice?" Roxas shook his head and soon he was laughing at a story of Axel's about how another skater had almost beaned him with a blade cover. Atzi glanced back at the boys with a faint smile as they talked. It was a bit early to say for sure, but she thought they were getting along quite well. Perhaps they would just be friends… but perhaps they would be more.

They would just have to wait and see.

* * *

_Dear Roxas,_

_Sora has informed me about your romantic interest. I wish you had told me this yourself. I will be investigating his suitability. I wish you had maintained your relationship with Olette. She has been asking about you if you reconsider your actions and wish to apologize._

_Your grades are acceptable. Please try to raise your marks in creative writing. 82% is beneath your level of ability. Although you did not ask, your father is doing well. His hip only bothers him when it's going to rain. He has been working on a chest for Sora and Riku._

_Please contact me if you have any news._

_-Maria_

* * *

"I wish to apologize?" Roxas tossed the letter away, shaking his head. He sometimes felt like his mother lived in an alternate reality.

His romance with Olette had been a mistake from the beginning. She was a very sweet girl and he'd been physically attracted but they had no common interests at all. Worse, she couldn't stand up to their parents at all. Not that many people could, but the pressure on both sides for them to get engaged and then married had been maddening. And they'd only been fifteen! They had both been too young for any relationship and it had come to a head when Roxas had gotten drunk and had a blowout fight with her. He could hardly remember it but he remembered the aftermath… Olette had been just as drunk and had woken up the next day with a boy she didn't know. That had been the end of their relationship.

In retrospect Roxas could see that his mother had been grooming Olette for him for years. Likely her parents had been doing the exact same thing. They had the same attitudes as his mother, unfortunately. His mother and Olette's mother didn't give up easily, which explained why they were still trying to get them back together. Still, it was a bit much to expect him to apologize. Roxas winced and tried to avoid thinking about his mother and her attitudes. That was just depressing. At least Axel would be acceptable… there was nothing wrong with Irish ancestry.

Roxas sighed as he looked at his handwritten notes and wished, not for the first time, that he had a laptop. Then he'd have been able to type his class notes. His handwriting was atrocious. Carefully putting the pages away he started typing up a reply to his mother. Creative writing was a very subjective thing. Maybe she would understand that if he explained. The blonde doubted it but he had to try. Then he paused as there was a knock at the door.

"Hello?" He called as he pushed away from his desk. He thought he knew who it was but –

"Hey!" Axel. Roxas smiled happily as he went to the door and opened it. Then he blinked as he saw the big brown paper bag Axel was carrying. The redhead smiled at him sheepishly. "Are you doing anything tonight? My brother was supposed to come over but he flaked to spend time with his girlfriend. So I've got a ton of Chinese food if you want some?"

"I would love it!" Roxas could smell the wonderful scent of… duck? "What is it?" He asked as Axel carried the bag into the dining room and started unloading the contents.

"Three courses of Peking duck." Axel answered cheerfully as he opened a Styrofoam box of rice. "Soup, dumplings and the main dish. It's my bro's favorite. I'd beat him for this but now I get to spend time with you." Roxas choked on a laugh and Axel glanced over with a smile, his green eyes twinkling. "And I'm still going to make him pay for it."

"Harsh! Fair though." Roxas said with a smile. If Sora had flaked on him to spend time with Riku, Roxas would have been tempted to sissy slap him into the next century. "I'm glad he did though."

"So am I." Axel murmured as Roxas took some plates out for them. "I'd rather spend time with you." Roxas looked over, surprised and pleased. He met green eyes again and swallowed nervously for a moment before giving the redhead a shy smile.

"Thank you." Was all he said before he passed Axel a plate and utensils. The redhead accepted it with a smile and began spooning out some rice. Roxas watched him a moment before shaking his head and taking a bit of the soup.

He really should be working on his letter to his mother but it could wait. He'd much rather spend time with Axel.


	5. Mama Doesn't Know Best

Roxas sighed in pleasure as he sat beside Axel, his head resting against the redhead's shoulder. They were watching an episode of Drivers, Drive-Ins and Dives but neither of them was paying any attention to it. Axel had an arm around him and was gently playing with his hair.

"Axel?" Roxas murmured, looking up to meet warm green eyes. Being held by Axel, cuddling against him like this, made him feel so… so loved. "Are…" Roxas swallowed before asking tentatively. "Are we boyfriends now?" They hadn't done anything more than hold hands but they'd been dating for weeks. It seemed like a long time for Roxas. Axel was still for a moment and Roxas felt his heart sink as he saw the surprised look on the redhead's face. Axel would think it was too soon, he'd –

"Of course we are." Roxas blinked at that quick reply. Axel smiled slowly and cupped his cheek. "If you mean, are we going steady…" Roxas felt his breath catch as Axel lowered his head. "I don't want to see anyone else." Their lips met in a slow, tender kiss that left him feeling hot and breathless.

"I don't either." Roxas said softly, resting a hand on Axel's chest. The redhead was just about to kiss him again when –

_**WHAM!**_ They both jumped and jerked away from each other as someone knocked on the door with vigor. Axel cursed as Roxas looked around, alarmed.

"Reno! What in hell." Axel complained as he got up and went to the door. Roxas stared as Axel got hugged by a man who could have been his twin.

"Axel, brother! It's good to see you. What's this I hear about you having a cute blonde – oh hey!" Roxas blushed as Axel looked ready to die of embarrassment. His brother was impervious, though, and waved at him. "That would be you. Roxas, right? Welcome to the family!" Roxas blinked and examined the new redhead for a moment. He was wearing black slacks and a white dress shirt, with a long, crooked tie. Black goggles were pushed onto his forehead and he had thin red tattoos on his cheeks.

"Reno! He's not part of the family yet." Axel protested, which gave Roxas a stab of disappointment. He quickly stifled it. Axel was right, it was far too soon for that. Reno waved dismissively.

"He will be, if he can stand you. Mom said she hasn't seen anything that gooey since Luc brought home Selune and look where they are now!" Reno's hands waved as he talked. Roxas felt a little exhausted just watching him.

"Las Vegas?" Axel said, confused, and Reno threw an arm around his shoulders before thumping him on the chest.

"No no no, married you idiot! Try to keep up. So I just came over to pay you off and see if you wanted to hang. Do you want to hang? We could play poker for dollars." Axel grimaced but Reno wasn't easily deterred. "Hey, we could play poker for quarters. Hey kid, do you play poker?"

"Uh, yes actually." Roxas said, startled. "I play online sometimes." Not very often but sometimes he was in the mood for it. Reno grinned and pulled Axel towards the dining room table.

"Excellent! Playing online isn't the same as playing in person, this will be a valuable learning experience. Axel, get out the chips. Oh, how much do I owe you?" Axel gave in with ill grace, getting out the cards and chips.

"Thirty dollars. You're also ordering some sushi for tonight." Axel said firmly. If his brother was going to interrupt his romantic moments then he was going to get something out of it. Reno sighed, mostly for effect.

"Use me, abuse me… alright. But sushi? Damn bro, you and your health food. Got a menu anywhere in this trash heap?" Reno poked at a pile of leaflets and Axel sorted through them, quickly finding a glossy brochure for the local sushi place. "You and Roxas pick it out, I know dick about sushi. Just get me some tempura." Reno quickly worked the cards, doing some playful little tricks. Roxas had a bad feeling as he watched the cards flashing, but consoled himself with the fact that they were only playing for quarters. Wait, quarters?

"Axel, I didn't bring any money." Roxas whispered to him as they bent over the menu. Axel shook his head with a smile before speaking in his ear.

"Don't worry about it. He'll just make me pay for the sushi when we both lose pitifully." Roxas blinked at that and Axel flashed him a grin. "It's a brother thing."

"Oh." Roxas decided not to point out that he'd never played games like that with his brother. But then, Sora was peppy but nothing like Reno. "Well, I'd like some California rolls." Axel shrugged and noted it down.

"If that's what you like. I'm going for sashimi." Axel liked his sushi pure and unadulterated. "Oooh, we need edamame." Soon they had a good assortment of food picked out and Axel placed the order. "I must order too often, the chick recognized my voice… Reno, what are you doing? Stop marking the cards!" Axel growled as Reno looked hurt.

"Would I do a thing like that?" But he stopped fiddling with the cards and dealt the hands. Roxas watched him carefully but couldn't see any evidence of cheating. Then, how would he know? He noticed that Reno's hands were much the same as Axel's, long fingered but strong. "Speaking of Luc, have you heard? Selune's having a baby."

"No! Seriously?" Soon the two brothers were discussing baby things and the impact on the family. Roxas listened with interest as they talked about how Atzi would expect them both to go to Las Vegas to see the baby. "We all know you'll love that." Axel teased Reno, who grinned and ruffled his cards.

"Las Vegas is my home away from home. What about you kid? You ever really gambled?" Reno said to Roxas, who blinked and thought about it for a moment.

"Only bingo. My mother didn't approve of real gambling." As far as her sons were concerned that was the end of it. Poker wasn't worth crossing their mother for. They saved that for bigger things. Reno made a face and glanced at Axel, who shrugged.

"Not all of us would die without cards Reno." He said, amused as he glanced at his hand. "Fold." He tossed the cards into the centre of the table as Reno placed a bet. Roxas matched it. His hand was really pretty good, he thought, although he wasn't sure. The sushi arrived with both of them almost out of chips and true to Axel's prediction, he ended up paying for it. They abandoned the poker then in favor of watching TV and Roxas decided to question Reno a bit during the commercial break.

"I was wondering. What do you do?" He asked Axel's brother. Reno smiled and leaned back, resting his head against the back of the couch."

"I'm a police officer. Undercover narcotics, usually." He said casually and Roxas blinked. "Don't spread that around or I'll have to kill you."

"Haha, very funny Reno." Axel shook his head then spoke to Roxas. "He's actually on Homicide. He stands out way too much to do undercover, even if he does look like a delinquent."

"Oh screw you." Reno sighed, mostly for effect. "I am a bit too memorable though, with this bush of mine. Oh well, can't have everything." Reno idly searched through the channels. "I hate this CSI bullshit, they don't get anything right – oh hey, Stars on Ice is on! Want to catch some tips bro?"

"Screw you Reno." Axel said tartly, making his brother laugh. "But we can watch it if you want. I promise not to nit-pick their mistakes." Roxas laughed at that and Axel smiled at him, putting an arm over his shoulders.

"How kind of you." Reno politely ignored their cuddling as he switched the channel. Finally, though, he stood. "Well, I better go. Try to get some sleep tonight and don't wear out the bedsprings." Roxas blushed as Axel growled. Reno grinned at them both. "Later red."

"Later Reno." Axel smiled as the door slammed shut behind his brother. "He always does everything loudly." Then he looked at Roxas and the blonde could catch the edge of worry in his eyes.

"He's very nice." Roxas said with a small smile and Axel seemed relieved. "I bet not everyone likes him though." Reno was one of those people with a lot of personality. It could easily rub someone the wrong way. Axel laughed softly.

"You got that right!" Warm hands touched his hair and gently stroked his face. Roxas swallowed hard, looking up into bright green eyes. "Roxas… would you like to stay the night?" Axel wanted nothing more than to take the blond to his bedroom and see if they really could wear out the springs. But Roxas shook his head.

"Not yet." He said softly, to Axel's disappointment. "It's still too early… but soon." He smiled then, and Axel couldn't help but smile back. He bent down a bit to brush his lips over warm, soft skin.

"I can wait." Was all the redhead said. He could wait for Roxas. Forever if necessary.

* * *

_Roxas,_

_I have checked on your friends' background. He is not of our kind. End any contact with him if you wish to continue your scholarship and credit card._

_-Maria_

* * *

"Wh-what… what…" Roxas stared at the crumpled piece of paper in his hand. Tears began to fill his eyes. "Mama! Why?" What could she possibly have found out about Axel? The phrase 'not of our kind' told him what she _thought_ she knew but how could that be? "This isn't fair." He mumbled to himself as he struggled to think of what to do. Only one thing came to mind and he bolted out of the apartment. "Axel? Are you there?" He called as he pounded on the door. It was six in the morning surely the redhead would be –

"Roxas?" The muffled sounds of someone getting out of bed penetrated the door and Roxas felt a vast relief. "I'm coming, what is it?" Axel opened the door, looking sleepy and out of sorts. He was wearing pajamas with little choo-choo trains on them and normally that would have made Roxas smile. Right now he was far too upset to care.

"It's my mother she – she –" Roxas hugged Axel and began to sob as the bewildered redhead held him. This was a _nightmare. _His mother did have the power to cut off all his funding, even his scholarship, which was why he'd been so careful not to make any ties. But he hadn't dreamed in his worst nightmares that she'd object to Axel like this.

"Shhh, it's okay. It's okay." Axel comforted him as he wept. "What's happened? You can tell me." Axel was expecting to hear that Roxas' mother had had a heart attack or some other tragic accident. Instead a handwritten letter was shoved into his hands.

"She sent me this." Roxas choked out as Axel opened the page and read the few sentences. His eyebrows shot up for his hairline and Roxas wanted to cringe. "She – she's a horrible bigot but I don't know why she thinks you're bad! I'm sorry!" Roxas hugged Axel again. "I'm not like that, really I'm not but I was waiting until I graduated so I wouldn't have to care…" Roxas knew he was babbling but he couldn't stop. He was embarrassed, horrified, ashamed… Axel's arms were around him again and the redhead drew him over to the couch.

"Shhh Roxy. Shh. It's okay, I know you're not like that." Axel let the blonde cry out his grief and pain, holding him until he was only sniffling. "Okay. Let's start from the beginning. Your mom is a horrible bigot. Is your dad?"

"No. But he never stops her." Roxas mumbled, keeping his face firmly against Axel's shoulder. "It's so hard to stand up to her. She's so – so hard on you." He didn't know how else to explain it. His mother was domineering and her love was extremely conditional. She had ways of making you wish you'd never been born. "I love her but I don't want to be near her. Sora manages by doing anything she wants." And from the sounds of it, that wasn't pleasing Riku. Roxas only hoped the silver haired man could tolerate it. Axel made a small hmm'ing sound.

"So that's why you came all the way here?" He said gently and Roxas nodded. "What makes you think she can take away your scholarship?"

"She can." Roxas said flatly. "She has to fill out the income forms every year. If she doesn't do it I'll lose the scholarship." Roxas looked down then felt Axel's hand on his cheek, lifting his face up so he could meet warm green eyes.

"Roxy, there has to be some way around that. People have falling outs with their family all the time. We should go talk to the scholarship authorities, see what can be done." Roxas blinked. That hadn't occurred to him. He'd read all the paperwork and knew the forms had to be filled out by his mother and father… it had never occurred to him that there might be a way around them. "She mentioned a credit card. How much money of theirs do you use?"

"Um… about five hundred a month for rent and utilities." Roxas said reluctantly. "I could get a job." It would be hard on him but he thought he could manage it. Although his grades would probably suffer. But he couldn't give up Axel. The redhead smiled slowly.

"I think my parents are looking for an intern." Axel mused and Roxas blinked. "And if they're not, a bet they could find a use for one." Roxas felt his breath catch in his throat. Was Axel really suggesting?

"Axel… you can't…" It was so much to take from his boyfriend! But Axel shook his head.

"Of course I can. I'm the one who got you in trouble." Axel suddenly frowned. "But how did she find out about that? And your mother must be a really horrible bigot to hold that against my family!" Roxas blinked at him, confused, and suddenly realized that Axel knew exactly what his mother knew. But what WAS it?

"Axel? What are you talking about? What does my mother know about you?" Roxas asked anxiously and Axel grinned.

"You've noticed I have a tan?" He asked and Roxas nodded. "That's not a tan. It's my skin tone. My great-great-grandmama had Aztec blood. The blood of kings to hear my mother tell the story, although I doubt that. My family has always kept pretty good records so I know the whole story. Want to hear?"

"Yes please." Roxas was fascinated. How has his mother found out about this? Axel began to explain.

"Her name was Atzi, just like my mother. She was living in a village in the middle of nowhere, probably Peru we think. Anyway, great-great-grandma decided to go to the city. She did pretty well there waiting tables when a man approached her. He told her that he could get her to America and find her a job as a maid to a rich American family. She was pretty naïve so she accepted… and found herself a prostitute." Roxas blinked at that. "This was around 1890, the time of the Robber Barons. There were a lot of sexual slavery and opium dens on the mean streets. Anyway. She was smart and beautiful and managed to catch the fancy of a rich Englishman. He must have been an interesting guy because instead of marrying up the way he could have, he bought her freedom and married her. I don't know if they were in love, but they had six kids so they must've at least liked each other." Axel frowned, then shrugged. "So it's four generations back, but I do have Amerindian blood. It never would have occurred to me that someone would hold it against me!" Roxas blushed but fortunately Axel seemed mostly amused rather than offended.

"I don't know how she knew." Roxas said forlornly and Axel frowned, thinking about it.

"She probably ran into grandma on the internet. She's big into genealogy and loves the whole Aztec thing." Roxas winced. That actually sounded likely. His mother was also into genealogy and could trace their family all the way back to Europe. "I'm really sorry to put you through this Roxas." Axel murmured softly, touching his cheek.

"You're not." The blonde said firmly, looking into green eyes. "She is. Um… do you mind if I stay with you today?" He really didn't want to go to classes right now. He could take one day off. Axel smiled slowly.

"I'll call my coach and tell him a personal problem came up. We can spend all day together, then see about your scholarship tomorrow." Axel promised the blonde. He wanted to help Roxas anyway he could and right now he could do that by just being with him. Roxas smiled slowly and cuddled up, feeling warm and secure as Axel's arms enfolded him.

Tomorrow they'd see what they could do to take care of his family problems.


	6. Sex!

Roxas looked around worriedly.

He was in the lobby of NordaWeave Designs. Axel's breezy assurances aside, he was very nervous. The lobby was beautiful, with a floor of rough grey stone tiles and white walls with very modern light fixtures. The stark white and grey made a good counterpoint to the massive picture on one wall. It was an oil painting of a Mediterranean village and Roxas smiled faintly as he recognized the style. It was certainly the work of the same painter whose picture graced Axel's wall.

"You must be Roxas! Welcome." The woman behind the counter rose with a smile, offering him a hand to shake. She was an older lady with fizzy, sandy blonde hair. She was wearing dark glasses and wearing a nice white blouse. Roxas was wearing a similar dress shirt. Axel had told him the dress code for the front desk was simple white and black.

He was only going to be working four hours a day on Saturday and Sunday, helping out the receptionist and letting her take a long lunch break if she cared to. She didn't really need the help but it would be, well, helpful. And this way whoever happened to be on the roster to spell her for lunch wouldn't have to. And eight hours a week wouldn't disrupt his schoolwork any.

"Let me show you how the switchboard works." She said and soon Roxas was getting a quick tutorial on how the phone system worked. His head was swimming at the information when she showed him a pink binder. "It's all written here too. We sometimes have temps when I need a break and explicit instructions help." She hesitated a moment and seemed on the verge of asking him something, then thought better of it. Roxas could guess what was on her mind. Why had he been hired? There had to be plenty of rumors floating around about it. But Roxas wasn't about to enlighten her. "Here, can you photocopy these?" She showed him a stack of papers. "And be sure to take the staples out." Roxas nodded and went to work with a will.

It might be pure make work, but he'd make himself useful to Axel's parents.

* * *

"I'm really sorry about this." Roxas said, embarrassed. Axel just smiled and shook his head as he toyed with an overcooked carrot. "Really. I don't know how this happened."

"Roxas, ease up. I don't mind." Axel said with a laugh, but that only made Roxas feel worse. The redhead should mind. Nothing had gone as planned. He'd decided to spend a little out of his first paycheck and take Axel on a real date. Normally the redhead paid for everything but this once Roxas was determined to return the favor. It should have been a perfect evening. They had planned to go to a movie and then a nice, inexpensive restaurant.

The movie theater had been the first problem. There had been some kind of technical issue and the whole thing had been closed. They'd been left to wander around the mall instead and, unfortunately, some child had vomited on the way to the bathroom and the parent hadn't told anyone. Axel had slipped and fallen to one knee in it. It could have been worse but cleaning baby puke off blue jeans did not a good date make.

Then they had gone to the restaurant and if anything, that was worse than the mall. It had taken forever for them to be seated and when they finally got their food it wasn't very good. Roxas' shrimp were both rubbery and strangely mushy. Axel had tried one and commented that he doubted anyone could manage that particular consistency if they were trying for it. Axel's moussaka had been hot on the outside and cold in the centre. He'd sent it back and gotten what he thought was the same dish after a round in the microwave. That had solved some problems but had also turned the carrots into nasty overcooked pucks. It was all so embarrassing.

"Should we dare dessert?" Axel asked, amused and Roxas tried to catch the eye of their waiter. He finally gave up and sighed, looking at his empty glass of water.

"I'd rather not wait here another half-hour. I have some brownie mix at home and chocolate ice cream." Roxas offered. Axel smiled and reached over, catching his hand and giving him a gentle squeeze. Roxas looked into warm green eyes and felt the breath catch in his throat.

"That sounds lovely." Axel said with such sincerity that Roxas couldn't doubt he meant it. "Of course, to do that we have to get the cheque." Axel pushed his plate away, half the food on it uneaten and Roxas followed suit. It really just wasn't worth eating. The redhead tried to flag down the waiter and sighed as the man walked right past. "This could be a challenge. Where's a bullhorn when you need one?"

"I don't think the rest of the diners would care for that." Roxas pointed out with a smile and Axel laughed. It took some time but they finally managed to catch the waiters attention long enough to pay their bill. Roxas noticed that he didn't ask about the fact that most of their food was still on the plates and wondered if he cared at all. Probably not. Some people took no pride in their work.

Axel drove them back to Roxas' apartment and soon he was busy making a box of brownie mix as Axel whipped up some cream. Roxas was a bit surprised as he watched the redhead going at it with a blender. He hadn't been aware you could do that with cream, although he supposed it did make sense. The carton did say whipping cream.

"I don't suppose you have any chocolate syrup?" Axel said as he sampled the whipped cream. "Or nuts? We have the makings of something seriously delicious here." Roxas shook his head with a smile then paused.

"I think maybe I have some walnuts." It took a bit of searching but eventually Roxas came out of the panty with half a bag of rather shriveled nuts. "They're pretty old. Do nuts go bad?" Roxas peered into the plastic bag dubiously. Axel grabbed a nut and popped it in his mouth, chewing thoughtfully.

"They're fine. Let's pile them on top of the ice cream!" Axel's enthusiasm was infectious and Roxas couldn't help but smile. It took perhaps twenty minutes for the brownies to finish but when they did, they were everything the two of them could have wanted. "Mmm." Axel said indistinctly as he licked off his spoon. Roxas took a bite of his brownie and half-closed his eyes in pleasure as he enjoyed the deep chocolate of the brownie, the lighter chocolate of the ice cream and the sweet whipped cream. The little crunchy bits of walnuts made a perfect counterpoint to the rest. "It just does not get better than this."

"It could!" Roxas said as he was suddenly hit with inspiration. Axel stared at him, puzzled, as he pushed back his chair and went to the fridge. Then the redhead laughed as he filled up two glasses with milk. "Milk would make this even better." Roxas brought back the two glasses, passing one to Axel with a smile.

"True!" Axel grinned and raised his glass in a toast. "To the perfect end to a dreadful evening." Roxas blushed, then laughed and clicked his glass against Axel's. It had been a horrible excuse for a date… but it was ending nicely. Roxas smiled as he saw a smudge of whipped cream on Axel's cheek. He reached out to gently wipe it away, then licked the sweet white nectar off his finger. "…Erm…" Roxas looked at Axel and was surprised to see a stunned and hungry look on his face.

"Is something wrong?" Roxas asked, concerned, as Axel blushed. The redhead shook his head.

"Nothing!" He said quickly and ate another bite of the brownie. "You're just really sexy, you know?" Axel said jokingly but Roxas could tell he was serious. The blonde blushed and shook his head.

"You're the one that's sexy." He replied, scooping up the last of the ice cream and eating it. Axel pushed away his empty bowl and met Roxas' eyes, his own full of warm promises.

"If you think so, would you like me to stay tonight?" Axel asked and Roxas paused. For a moment he was tempted to say no. He'd only had one relationship in the past and it had ended very badly due to his mother's interference. And Roxas knew that no matter what he did it was possible this relationship could end the same way. He'd moved a very long way to avoid his mother but when she realized he was defying her… things might get ugly. Would Axel be able to handle it? "It's okay if you don't want to." Axel said as he paused and Roxas shook his head, making his decision. He wasn't going to live in fear. They'd deal with his family when and if they became a problem.

"I want you to stay." Roxas said firmly but Axel still looked uncertain. "Please." Roxas stood, taking Axel's hand and pulling the redhead to his feet. His doubts seemed to melt away then and Axel smiled, lowering his face and catching Roxas' lips in a gentle kiss. A kiss that quickly turned deeper and more intimate. They parted for a moment and Roxas could see the longing, the need in Axel's face. The redhead cupped his cheek for a moment, smiling, and Roxas was sure he could see a similar expression on his face.

"The bedroom." Axel said softly, taking Roxas hand and leading him there. "Sex on the kitchen table would be hot, but not for the first time." Roxas choked at the image and shook his head.

"That would not be hot." Roxas said firmly and Axel grinned before undoing his shirt. Roxas watched for a moment as the redhead pulled the fabric away. Axel was every bit as well muscled as he'd thought and Roxas swallowed as he saw Axel's beautiful tan… no, his skin tone was full body. It was beautiful. Roxas began working off his own clothing, feeling very pale and soft compared to the redhead.

"Roxas, you're so hot." Roxas blinked as he realized Axel was gazing at him with frank admiration. Roxas felt a blush rising as the redhead swept him into a warm embrace, kissing him again. Roxas melted against him, enjoying the way Axel's tongue dipped into his mouth, claiming every dip and crevice for his own. "So, ah, where's the lube?" Axel asked, a touch breathlessly as they parted.

"The bedstand." Roxas opened the drawer and quickly found what he was looking for. He hadn't owned it before he'd met Axel but he'd decided to get some weeks ago, as well as condoms.

"You're prepared." Axel sounded amused and Roxas did blush as the redhead pulled him down onto the bed. "Good, I don't have to find mine…" Roxas gasped as Axel's hand suddenly encircled him, giving him slow, firm strokes. Slickened digits slipped down to gently squeeze his sacks and Roxas found himself whispering Axel's name. The redhead claimed his lips again for a deep, hot kiss as his fingers slipped over Roxas' entrance. He felt so experienced and Roxas just gave himself over to the feelings, the sensations. It was easier to just let Axel take charge. He could always return the favor later –

"Ah!" Roxas grunted softly as Axel slid one slickened finger past the tight ring of muscle, gently opening him. It had been too long since he had done this and he deliberately tried to relax, letting Axel inside. The redhead paused a moment, looking at him and Roxas felt a surge of desire at the look on his face, the emotion in his eyes.

"I'm not hurting you, am I?" Roxas was so tight in there, his walls gripping Axel's fingers like a second skin. He had to be hurting the blonde… but Roxas shook his head.

"I'm fine. But you're killing me. Please, more." Roxas moaned softly, rocking his hips against Axel's hand, rubbing his erection between the two of them. Axel laughed shakily and slipped in another finger, making Roxas wince faintly as he became accustomed to the sting. But he wanted this. He was ready for this. He wanted it so badly.

"I would love to suck you right now. But I want you too much." Axel murmured and Roxas gasped as the fingers disappeared, and Axel paused just a moment to coat his hardness in more of the lube. Axel pushed forward smoothly, the head of his length pushing past the loosened entrance. "Roxas, god!" Axel gasped as the blonde made a noise, somewhere between a grunt and a gasp of pleasure. "You're beautiful – wonderful, amazing – so _tight_…" Roxas' walls gripped him like warm velvet as he sinks into that heavenly warmth. Axel pulls back, thrusting forward in a smooth, firm motion.

"Axel." Roxas gasped out, pleasure coursing through him as Axel shifted his angle slightly and found that special spot, the place that felt so good… "Ah, that's so amazing…" He moaned as the redhead found a rhythm, gripping his hips with long fingers. The way Axel felt inside him and the friction on his cock with every thrust just felt so amazing. He felt like they were melting together, becoming one in the most primal way possible and he never wanted it to end. It just felt so _good._ Then Axel pulled a hand away from his hip to give his erection firm strokes in time with his thrusts and Roxas gasped, feeling like he might fly apart at any moment. But he didn't want it to end.

"Roxas." The deep, intense note to Axel's voice brought him closer to the edge but Roxas hung on as the redhead claimed his lips again, his tongue hot and insistent in Roxas' mouth. Then he ran a moist thumb up the vein running along the underside of Roxas' hardened shaft and it was suddenly all too much.

"Mmmph!" Roxas cried out in Axel's mouth as he arched, white hot pleasure coursing through him as the redhead milked his release, his hot hand still stroking him as he thrust several times in short succession, each one finding his prostate. "Axel!" Roxas cried out again as the redhead found his release, his body shuddering with pure pleasure over him for a timeless moment. Then Axel flopped down bonelessly over the smaller blonde. They lay together for a long moment, exhausted and spent. Then Axel shifted slightly, moving his weight so he wouldn't be crushing Roxas. Roxas winced as he felt Axel slide free then sighed, feeling warm and content as strong arms encircled him.

"I love you." He said without thinking and felt Axel's momentary surprise. Roxas looked up, worried for a moment and then relaxed as he saw the redhead's smile.

"I love you too." Was his reply before he caught the blonde's lips in another deep, passionate kiss. Roxas sighed and relaxed, closing his eyes and just enjoying the sensations.

He was sure this was right. He'd finally found the right man for him.

* * *

_Mother,_

_I am sorry to disappoint you but I cannot accede to your request. Do not bother to send in anymore paperwork for my scholarship. Other arrangements have been made. Please don't think this means I don't love you… I do. But I cannot allow my life to be run by illogical hates and fears._

_I hope Sora and father are doing well. Please give father my love._

_-Roxas._

* * *

A week later.

_Briiing briiing bring! Bring! _Roxas groaned as Axel muttered something uncomplimentary about whoever was calling. He shifted slightly, feeling Axel's hair sliding against his shoulder. Maybe if they ignored it, it would go away –

_Briing! Briing bring bring!_ Roxas sighed and glanced at the clock. It was five AM.

"Someone better be dying. Or they will be." Axel muttered as Roxas finally gave up and pried himself out of bed.

"Sorry love." Roxas said, feeling a thrill at the words. He smiled and leaned down to give the redhead a quick kiss then winced as the phone went off again. "I'll be right back." He promised and Axel shook his head, pushing himself up.

"Don't bother. I'm awake." Axel yawned and went to the bathroom as Roxas grabbed a robe then went to answer the phone.

"Hello?" Roxas said as he yawned, pressing a hand to his mouth. It couldn't be a telemarketer, it was just too early in the morning. Was it a wrong number? It couldn't be his mother, he'd threatened to remove all of Sora's pubic hair with a rusty razor if he dared tell her his number. He'd already changed it twice.

_Roxas! What's going on? _Roxas blinked. Why would Sora be calling him at five AM in the morning?

"Sora, are you aware there's a three hour time difference where you live?" Roxas said evenly but Sora was too distraught to care.

_Mom just got your letter and she's having a FIT! What have you done? _Roxas winced but wasn't particularly surprised. Of course Sora would be calling him about that.

"Told her where to stick her instructions. I'm going to live my own life Sora, and I'm not going to spend it kow-towing to a bigot." Roxas said harshly, although he felt a flash of pain at the words. It hurt to admit, even to himself, that his mother was a domineering bigot. She was still the woman who'd picked him up and held him as a baby and given tended his hurts when he got a boo-boo. Although she was also the person who had insisted on an A average for all subjects and treated him with cold disdain when he'd ever dared bring home a B.

_Roxas, you can't mean it! What will you do at Christmas and summer holidays? Thanksgiving? Mom's talking about sending Uncle Rex to come get you! _That immediately shot Roxas' blood pressure up. They thought they could drag him home like a disobedient child?

"I'm twenty years old Sora. How will he drag me home, with a shotgun?" Unpleasant memories told Roxas that was a distinct possibility and Sora's silence was telling. "If I see any relatives at my doorstep I'll be calling the cops, and you can tell her that." Roxas said firmly. His mother had a great respect for the police although that would only make her more furious with him. In her world calling the police on relatives was absolutely verboten. "And I'm just not coming home."

_You're giving up the family for him? _Sora sounded absolutely shocked. _Roxas, how could you? You don't even know him!_ Roxas bit his lip. He hadn't known Axel that long, but…

"Yes, I am. I think I love him. I know you wouldn't give up the family for Riku but we are not the same." That was a bit nasty but Roxas thought his brother deserved it. "And it's not just him. I'm finished with being held in thrall to mother's whims and wishes! She has no reason to reject him like this. So what if Axel's great-great grandmother came from Peru? So what if he has Aztec blood? It's stupid Sora! Are we living in the twentieth century or not?" Years of frustration seemed to boil out all at once and Roxas found he was almost shouting. Trying to calm himself, he continued. "I've had enough of this Sora. You can do what you want but don't call me about it again!" Roxas slammed down the phone and stood panting for a moment. Then warm arms suddenly encircled him from behind. Roxas started then relaxed, letting himself be held.

"Hey. You don't think they'd really send someone with a shotgun to get you?" Axel sounded worried and Roxas bit his lip. He knew his family and knew it was indeed possible that his mother would think he was bluffing about calling the police. She had a lot of trouble believing any of her children would deliberately disobey her. "I know it's soon but you could come live with me. My apartment is a lot more secure."

"I – I don't know." Roxas knew Axel was right. His apartment was not secure at all. He'd caught another of the tenants using a cord to hold open the door all day once to let a friend in. A lot of people put doorstops in it for similar reasons. Axel's apartment was classier and the people there had a better awareness of security. Also, Sora and his mother knew where his current apartment was. They would have no idea where Axel lived. But the blonde couldn't help but hesitate. If his relatives really came after him they wouldn't hurt him… but they definitely might hurt Axel. "I don't want to put you in danger." He admitted, meeting concerned green eyes. Axel smiled slowly before giving him a kiss.

"I love danger. Besides, I can have Reno talk to the police there, see if they can give them a friendly warning." Roxas blinked at that thought and suddenly felt a lot more cheerful. His mother did respect the police. Maybe Reno really could help, if it became necessary. "You can pay me rent and everything. Hell, we can come up with a lease contract if you want." Axel offered and Roxas shook his head.

"I'm month to month now. That's okay." His original lease had expired a year ago and he hadn't renewed it. Now he was glad. "I'll move in with you." Roxas said quietly and smiled as he saw the pleasure in Axel's face. "So what would you like for breakfast?" If they were up they might as well really be up. Axel looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Pancakes?" He asked hopefully and Roxas laughed, going to get the mix out of the pantry.

All was right with the world.


End file.
